So I am not so much as worried that my son will shoot his eye out as I am how many windows he will end up shoot out. Ok let's get you caught up. Last weekend my brother-in-law calls asking what to get the kids for Christmas......sigh. While he was talking to Hubby I over hear something about a Red Rider BB Gun.  My immediate reaction is the same as my current one.  WHAT. Our yard is so small our farthest neighbor is only about 20 yard away. WHERE IS HE GOING TO SHOOT THAT WON'T CAUSE PROPERTY DAMAGE? At first my Hubby stood his ground and said no sorry that is just not a good gift considering how compact our neighborhood. But that, for some reason beyond my comprehension, angered my brother in law and yesterday called my Hubby at work and he some how managed to talk him into it.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry about this. I can just see the little holes that will be appearing in the fragile vinyl siding of our garage. I can hear the phone call from the first window my Son breaks with that thing.

Now don't get me wrong I have no problem with guns and I even took Grand Champion in Shooting Sports for three years when I was in 4-H as a kid but we had safe places to shoot with windows covered and traps for the pellets behind the targets. If we lived in the country where he could shoot against the barn or at a dirt pile I would not have a problem .

Am I over reacting to this or should I just send the bills for new windows and siding repair to my brother-in-law when the time comes?

......I would chuck this do it your self mouse pad kit out of the window and send this away to my favorite lab to deal with. But I only have 8 days and I already have the kits so here I am fighting with iron on printer paper and ready to iron on mouse pads. It really is a pain. Although I do like the idea of adding these to my line of products. As long as I don't have to get out my iron!

Here is the design for one of the Grandpas for christmas. I am not telling which one just incase they read my blog this week.

Well after a year I am still working on my branding of who Garden Rose Photography is. I think I have come up with a Logo that I like finally. Well at least for the 2007 year. I know I should stick to one for branding purposes but until I am happy I don't think I will stop reinventing.

I got the Fujifilm Finepix F30 last July so I would have a small camera to carry with me on vacation without carrying around all of my professional gear. I enjoy the camera a great deal and I am very pleased with it.

I was looking at the sale flyers this weekend and I saw how much the price of this camera has dropped since July.....I could have cried. over $100 in just 5 months. My mother did not raise a fool I am a bargain shopper and I love a good deal and it just kills me how much I could have saved if I had just waited 5 months. But did I really want to carry my Nikon D70 on the Vortex at Kings Island? No. So I guess I got a good camera when I needed it. It is just hard for me to believe how quickly technology and the cost of technology changes.

Well I came back if only to post what I have been working on lately. Between my cold and spraining my Knee I have been so out of it. But thanks to wonderful drugs from my doctor and some decongestants I am back with a project for inexpensive christmas presents!

If you have heard of www.stamps.com and gone to their photo stamps part of their website you know what I am talking about You can take your own picture and have it turned into a custom postage stamp.

So I spent some time yesterday creating little stamp images for our families. One of my parents and one for my inlaws. They are most likely the best composite I have ever done but they are not bad for 1"x1" printing.

For my parents   --    for Hubby's

Everyone uses stamps for one thing or another. Why not brag about your grand kids while you do it? Sounded good to me! I hope they go over well. What would you think of you got stamps with your kids and your sisters' kids on them? I may be a little cheesy but I think it is great!

Ohhhh my tummy......I know it seems like I dropped off the face of the earth after thanksgiving but really I have just that the usual post holiday illness. I think I have a mild form of the flu but it is still not fun. I want to put up my christmas tree and decorations inside my house. I tried putting up some lights outside and I got half way done and I was so tired that when I sat down with a drink of water I ended up falling asleep in the chair.  I really want to put up my tree. I love Christmas. When I feel more awake I will post a picture of it.

I am going to be a busy little bee this week starting today when I pick up the kids and not ending until Saturday Evening when My family leaves my house. I don't know if I will get a chance to post again until Sunday so Have a Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have alot to be thankful for. Enjoy the Turkey or the Tofurkey if you are a veggie, and catch a good nap.

So for April and Kyle's wedding we did some of those great pictures downtown and then we had plans to do a few more when we got to the reception then suddenly I saw it. All alone at the side of the road was a big red barn and an unharvested soybean field. I pulled into the drive of this barn and for about 15 minutes we took some really beautiful pictures. Now I want to thank the owner of the field so I am going to have this printed in an 8x10 and take some homemade apple butter and cinnamon Hot Cocoa Mix to the farmer that owns the field. I am so nervous because they could be really mean people and upset that I used their field or they could be really great and proud that I would use it. I am going to apologize and say thank you anyway because I think it is the right thing to do.

 So when it didn't hurt to sit I started working on Christmas Cards for my clients if they wished to purchase them. Here is April and Kyle's. I think it looks pretty good. I could always change out the picture. For a different one if requested. I will take more background type pictures this year for more styles of cards next year. Let me know what you think.

The black thin line is to illustrate where the edges of the card begin.

I had every intension of posting a new cool message on Thursday about my Grocery shopping extravaganza but then as I was unloading my groceries my back decided it got twisted and bent too much and for the rest of the evening I looked like an upside down L trying to move around the house. I have been sleeping with a hot pad on it and taking lots of Advil and Alieve and it's not as bad but Saturday it started to flare up again and I am really freaked out. I don't think my Doctor is in but I will have to see tomorrow. Out of all the painful things I have ever done this back thing is, so far, the most painful thing I have ever experienced. I hope to do more stuff later but right now I am starting to feel a twinge and I am going to take some Advil and go to bed. Sorry my life as been boring this week. I will catch you up before Thanksgiving.